Head On Collision
by Batman Lamp-Writer
Summary: One-Shot. Sequel to Zero. Phantom divulges some of Danny's past in a letter to their friends, who quickly realize they didn't know everything about him. Warning-language and violence.


A/N: And the third in a series of twelve, Head On Collision! Enjoy.

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Danny'll probably kill me for this.

That's why I left this way out here. After all, only Danny, Sam, Tuck, Jazz, Dani, and I ever come here, anyway. Of course it's the safest place to leave this so only one of you gets it.

See, the truth is, none of you know the real Danny Fenton. Except maybe you, Jazz, but still, you might've been too young then. The truth is, there's no record of Danny Fenton before second grade because there was no Danny Fenton before second grade.

Yeah, you read that right. The Fentons took Danny in as a seven-year-old, not wanting to enroll him in school until they knew he was ready.

After all, he'd told them about the others, and they didn't want a repeat. That's why Maddie taught him all that self-defense.

But, before the Fentons, Danny lived with the worst villain. The worst of the worst.

Ian Ryder.

Ryder wasn't even Danny's birth father. Truth is, Danny has no idea who his birth father is. His mother was Ryder's sister, so she dumped Danny on him and ran off.

She doomed her own son to a life of torment.

Ryder was the only family Danny knew up until the Fentons, but they come later in the story. First, I need to tell you about all of Danny's past.

This'll be a bumpy one.

Danny was like most kids his age. He looked to his parent as a role model. But Ryder wasn't a very good one. Every little thing Danny did wrong was magnified and strictly punished with a beating. Everything he did right was ignored until he tried to bring attention to it. Then, it was turned around, torn apart, and made punishable. Beatings were the only 'fun' Danny knew growing up. It wasn't a nice life, for anyone, let alone him. Everything he did was punishable, and Danny grew up thinking that was perfectly normal.

Ryder was ruthless. You all know how much Danny wanted to be an astronaut. Well, that was because sneaking out and seeing the stars gave him hope. It was the only escape he had. He'd go outside and imagine a different life. One that didn't end in him getting hurt. One where he could touch the stars if he reached out.

NASA was the one thing he ever truly aimed for, the one thing that could provide him with the life he wanted, the life he didn't have.

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_He was a simple boy, he just liked to have fun_

_He never wanted to be just like his dad was_

_He was a dreamer but he had never had none_

_Who made the most of his life but never had one_

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Things moved quickly in the Ryder home. They had to, or Ryder would get angry. And when he got angry, Danny got hurt. That was how things worked.

Ryder made Danny do everything. From a young age, he was cooking and cleaning and basically keeping the house together on his own. If he didn't do something right, he'd be beaten until he did. It was a horrible life, and Danny knew it. He just couldn't leave.

And believe me, he tried. Any time Ryder was gone, Danny tried to run. He never made it very far, though. Sometimes, he'd hear the car in time to get back in and fake working. He'd only get a light beating. Others, Ryder caught him. Then, he'd get beaten so bad he should've gone to the hospital.

But Ryder wasn't the only one who beat Danny. They lived in a small town, so everyone knew everyone else. All the kids were told by their parents that the "Ryder kid was an unfavorable." The rule was avoid or destroy. A lot of the time, kids would go out of their way to have a reason to hurt him. Mostly, they told the adults that they couldn't avoid him. They were never punished. In fact, they were commended.

Danny never did a thing wrong, but he suffered for seven years, alone in that town. In a town where everyone knew everyone else, Danny was the single loner in the whole population. The whole town was against him.

He was trapped.

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_He was a single boy he could never slow down_

_He always wanted to leave but didn't know how_

_He was a dreamer who seemed to never break ground_

_Who spent most of his life in a small town_

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But then the Fentons came. They saved Danny. They made his life worthwhile again. They rescued him.

For the first seven years of his life, Danny suffered. For the next seven, he lived his life to the fullest. He never regretted anything he did. He couldn't if he tried.

He knew how bad life could be, so he took full advantage of the changes that came about. He never once lingered on the thoughts or memories of his past, except to remind himself of how far he'd come. How good things were now.

But he knew all good things must come to an end.

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_Shake up my life_

_Lets go..._

_Back to the days when we were young and not restless_

_We still believed and hadn't built our defenses_

_I'll tell you one thing's for sure_

_Till we make the decision_

_We'll never take this world_

_Unless we make a head on collision_

_A head on collision_

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It was right around the time he met Sam that he remembered. There was one other person in his old town who was just like him. She, too, was an unfavorable, but not quite to the same extent as him. Only her father ever hurt her, and it was mostly in response to bad grades.

He refused to get her tutors. She needed them, especially in math and science courses. Danny helped as much as he could, but he was hardly ever allowed to see her because of his own status. Besides, he sucked at math, too.

But they tried. They met in secret, spoke in secret, were friends in secret. Everything that went on between them had to be done in absolute secrecy. If anyone had ever found out, both would be severely punished.

In secret, they helped each other survive, even while ignoring each other in public. He helped her live through bad grades and good, and she helped him cope.

He just felt bad for not freeing her, too.

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_And daddy told her she could never have_

_Late night help with her math_

_So she sits crying by the window_

_Every time she gets another A_

_She makes it another day_

_And it's just that simple_

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The Fentons had enough to handle, he knew, with just taking in him. After all, they already had a daughter.

Still, he couldn't help but hope they'd take her in, too. She didn't deserve that life anymore than he did. It always felt, to him, like he had betrayed her. He felt guilty leaving her behind.

Danny would've rather switch places with her than leave her behind.

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_Shake up my life_

_Lets go..._

_Back to the days when we were young and not restless_

_We still believed and hadn't built our defenses_

_I'll tell you one things for sure_

_Till we make the decision_

_We'll never take this world_

_Unless we make a head on collision_

_A head on collision_

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Danny's surviving here. Clockwork's making him work, but he loves it. He thinks that the work is helping him realize that there were some things he couldn't stop. It's helping him deal, helping him get past his feelings of guilt and betrayal.

We get to travel around, running errands for Clockwork. We've seen all sorts of places. But I guess the whole reason behind me writing this has to do with one of the places we just went to.

We were at his old hometown.

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_Here they come now_

_Will you come down?_

_Make 'em run now_

_On to the next town_

_Here they come now_

_Let's make 'em run now_

_No time to fake now_

_Everything breaks down_

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He freaked out. I had to stop him from revealing our presence there. I kept a close eye on him, but he snuck away.

When I found him, he was really upset.

'She's gone,' he told me. 'She's left.'

Who?

'Andrea. She's gone.'

Danny, I don't know who that is!

'She's the only kind-hearted one here. She's my best friend! She's—She's—'

What?

'Gone.'

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_Here they come now_

_Will you come down?_

_Make 'em run now_

_On to the next town_

_Here they come now_

_Let's make 'em run now_

_No time to fake now_

_Everything breaks down_

_(He was a simple boy he just liked to have fun_

_He never wanted to be just like his dad was_

_He was a dreamer but he had never had none_

_Who made the most of his life but never had one)_

_Here they come now_

_Will you come down?_

_Make 'em run now_

_On to the next town_

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I followed him around as he searched frantically for his oldest friend.

He muttered things as he looked. 'She used to love this spot…. She always hung out here…. This is where she'd meet me….'

He was obsessed. He searched everywhere, high and low. It took forever, but I finally convinced him to go back to Clockwork's.

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_Let's go..._

_Back to the days when we were young and not restless_

_We still believed and hadn't built our defenses_

_I'll tell you one thing's for sure_

_Till we make the decision_

_We'll never take this world_

_Unless we make a head on collision_

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Clockwork already knew, of course. Danny demanded to be shown the time before she left. Clockwork told him how to work his screens, and Danny spent days watching his old hometown.

I could hear every time Ryder was seen. Danny would curse loudly until he disappeared from view. When Andrea came on, Danny became deathly silent, hoping to hear what her plans were.

He never did.

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_Let's go..._

_Back to the days when we were young and all restless_

_We still believed and hadn't built our defenses_

_I'll tell you one thing's for sure_

_Till we make the decision_

_We'll never take this world_

_Unless we make a head on collision_

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The day Danny found her leaving was the loudest day of all. I could've sworn Ryder was coming out of the screen at him by how loud he was getting.

I ran into the room he was in. The picture on his screen was of the blonde I had come to know as Andrea. Ryder was pushing her around with the whole town watching.

Why don't they stop him?

' 'Cause they're sick bastards,' Danny snarled.

I'd never seen him so mad.

Why won't they?

' 'Cause Ryder has 'em convinced Andrea and I were the cause of every bad thing that's ever happened in that town.'

What?!

'There's more to it than you know.'

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_Don't you know_

_There's more to this than we thought_

_'cause we were never listening_

_We heard it all before but we missed it_

_When all we needed was a head on collision_

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He told me everything. He'd tried before, but without proof it just sounded like a kid over exaggerating.

He told me about Ryder.

He told me about the town being against him.

He told me about the abuse.

He told me how everyone got away with it.

He told me how only one person could relate.

He told me how he left her behind.

He told me about their secret meetings.

He told me how together they survived.

He told me it was his fault Ryder went after her.

He told me he'd left too many clues.

He told me how Ryder had figured it out.

He told me everything Andrea said before leaving.

He told me what hurt him the most.

'Thanks a lot, Danny,' the girl on the screen hissed. Danny was replaying it for me, a grim look on his face and tears in his eyes. 'The last thing I needed was a head-on with your dad.'

He told me how Ryder told everyone that his son—Danny, apparently—had been kidnapped.

He told me about the reward money a person would get for taking him back to Ryder's.

He told me how Ryder publicly announced that Andrea had kidnapped and killed Danny.

'If I ever see you again,' she had said, 'I'll kill you, you little son of a bitch.'

He told me everything, then broke down.

What's wrong?

'My best friend hates me, and all because of a stupid head-on collision."

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_Don't you know_

_There's more to this than we thought_

_'cause we were never listening_

_We heard it all before but we missed it_

_When all we needed was a head on collision_

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A/N: Whee! Read and review, please.


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